Floating Car Data-based Measures And Approach To The Assessment Of Road Traffic Operations For Beijing

The status of traffic operations of road networks is an urban problem concerned by both traffic management agencies and city residents. It is also an important research topic for professionals in traffic engineering and urban planning. In the recent years, Beijing has experienced rapid political, economic, and cultural development, which generated rapid increase of transportation demands. Transportation problems, especially the traffic congestion problems, are becoming increasingly serious. In order to meet the demand of 2008 Olympic Games, make the traffic flow smooth during the Games, and create a good environment for the economic development in the capital, the effort to alleviate the urban traffic congestions is becoming even more urgent. In this context, performing a practical assessment on the traffic operations of the road network with an attempt to develop feasible traffic management plans is a key element in alleviating urban traffic congestions.In light of the above problems, this thesis first provides an introduction to the conventional measures and methods for assessing the traffic operations of the road network. Then, the thesis focuses on the study of the characteristics of floating car data. ,Further, it develops measures and methods for evaluating the traffic operations for the road network based on the floating car data in Beijing. Finally, the thesis assesses the status of traffic operations of the road network in Beijing by calculating and analyzing the selected evaluation measures. This assessment helps identify the primary congested road segments in Beijing, making it convenient for traffic management agencies to analyze and determine the causes of congestions and strive to identify the ultimate solutions to the congestions. Alleviating traffic congestion is not a mission that could be accomplished overnight, which instead must be carried out continuously over a long period of time. Further, the floating car data-based assessment of traffic operations proposed in this thesis is also a continuous undertaking in nature. The study in this thesis is significant in the sense that it provides an improved assessment of the traffic operations in Beijing and makes the effort in alleviating traffic congestions going be smooth.